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Chaos Order at the Hi-Tone

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Chaos Order is one of the heaviest bands in the city. Falling somewhere between Black Breath and Integrity, their hardcore is infused with metal undercurrents. They self-released their first EP while local label Fly the Light put out their second. In May, California-based Blasphemour Records released their split with Werewolf Congress. Vocalist Neal Bledsoe and bassist Jared Filsinger answered a few questions about their West Coast tour that will take them from Los Angeles up to Seattle, recording their new album, and Memphis in general. They'll cap off the tour with a rare home appearance at the Gone to the Dogs Fest, Saturday, November 21st, at the Hi-Tone. The event features 14 bands over two nights, and all proceeds go directly to the Street Dog Foundation.

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Heather Horton Photography

Chaos Order

Flyer: How did the band form?

Bledsoe: Jared, Sam (Davidson - drums), and Austin (Russell - guitar) were in the [band] Westbound from 2007-2011. When the Westbound's time had come to an end, we decided to start something new as Chaos Order.

Filsinger: We'd heard other projects that Neal had been a vocalist in and knew he'd be a good fit.

Had you known each other long?

Bledsoe: We'd all been really good friends prior to Chaos Order starting. We'd hangout at each other's band practices. We met in high school but at different schools. Jared and Sam were introduced to Austin through mutual friends.

Filsinger: Austin introduced everyone to Neal. We knew that we wanted to work together but didn't know when that would be. When the opportunity came, we immediately seized it. Took four years to happen, but here we are.

Were you influenced by any local bands or the scene here?

Filsinger: The whole band has been a fan of Pezz for a long time. They're also one of the few Memphis acts in the underground scene with longevity. There have been a lot of good bands that break up prematurely for one reason or another.

Some might say you have a little of the His Hero Is Gone (HHIG) sound.

Bledsoe: We're all into HHIG/Tragedy, so I can see how some people would see an influence. Crust Punk is definitely one of a myriad of sounds we try to create. We all have very broad musical tastes and really think it's going to show on the new record.

Can Memphis have a decent scene again?

Bledsoe: Anywhere can have a good scene, even Memphis. Bands are going to have to stop being envious and resenting one another and start supporting each other. Fans of music need to stop sitting at home and lurking online and actually go to shows.

Bledsoe:We can definitely say that Catrina Guttery from Rock 103 is helping out all scenes right now. She's been a great help to every band in Memphis. Having our music broadcast to people who normally wouldn't listen to anything like us. We can't praise her enough. John Miller from the Memphis Music Foundation/Shangri La Records is always wanting to help bands. You just have to reach out to him. Matt Martin from Black Lodge opened up his doors for bands to play shows there. Daniel Craig from Fly The Light Records has been a big help as well.

How did you hooked up with Blasphemour records and how did the West Coast tour come about?

Filsinger: Blasphemour liked our first couple of records and let us know that they'd like to help put out our next release. After talking to the label owner, Ryan, several times, we agreed that he was someone we wanted to work with. Most of the West Coast shows were set up by Ryan Blasphemour and bands on his label like Losing Skin, Funerals, and Werewolf Congress. We have a good fan base out West that supports us and buys our records, but its one of those places that's so far away, we're afraid our van would explode on the way home. We approached the label and bands about the tour and they were nice enough to help out and backline the shows with their gear so that we could fly over instead of drive.

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